Battle of Ellisville

The Battle of Ellisville occurred in March 1864 during the American Civil War. Partisans loyal to the Free State of Jones (Confederate deserters, runaway slaves, and abolitionist women, et. al.) under Newton Knight attacked the county seat of Ellisville, which was defended by a detachment of Confederate States Army soldiers under William T. Barbour. The partisans set up barricades and used metal rods as a form of cannon shot, using the rods to create a grapeshot-like blasting effect. The use of the artillery routed the Confederates, and the partisans proceeded to clear out a major plantation and to raise the Union flag from the courthouse. Shortly after the Confederate government in the county was taken over by the Free State of Jones, Knight sent a letter to Union general William T. Sherman declaring Jones County's independence from the Confederacy.